After kicking off the season with the PBA50 Johnny Petraglia Open presented by Brunswick at Maple Countryside Lanes in Clearwater, Fla., April 14-17, the season’s first major returns to Spanish Springs Lanes in The Villages, Fla., April 22-26 for the PBA50 National Championship presented by Spanish Springs Lanes and Radical.

The season’s two other majors return to Las Vegas for the USBC Senior Masters June 2-9 at Sam’s Town and the Suncoast PBA Senior U.S. Open presented by Storm June 9-14 at the Suncoast Bowling Center.

New events in 2019 will include the PBA50 Hamilton Lanes & Entertainment Center Open in Trenton, N.J., May 3-5, and two stops at Jax 60 Lanes in Jackson, Mich., the PBA50 Dave Small’s Jax 60 Open, July 30-Aug. 2, and PBA60 Dave Small’s Jax 60 Open, Aug. 3-5.

There will be two other events for players 60 and over which are: USBC Super Senior Classic at Sam’s Town, May 29-June 2, and PBA60 Dick Weber Championship presented by 900 Global Aug. 4-7 at Pro Bowl West in Goshen, Ind., to close out the season.

Players can enter beginning March 4 online at pba.com or by downloading an entry form and emailing it to Mary von Krueger at mary@pba.com.

Expanding upon what already will be an historic year of competition, Professional Bowlers Association CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark today announced a six-city, eight-tournament summer series as part of the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule that will include a $40,000 USBC Cup points competition.

The 2019 PBA Summer Tour will award eight PBA Tour titles beginning with the 20th anniversary PBA/PWBA Striking Against Breast Cancer Mixed Doubles in Houston in July and continuing with stops in Chesapeake, Va.; Wilmington, N.C.; Middletown, Del., and Coldwater, Ohio, before ending in late August with the FloBowling PBA Summer Swing which will include two animal pattern events and the Aurora Open finale in Aurora, Ill. Complete tournament schedules and formats will be announced later.

Open to PBA members as well as non-members, all eight events will be streamed live from first ball to last by PBA Xtra Frame on FloBowling. For subscription and schedule information visit www.flobowling.com.

All summer tour events except the Aurora Open will be classified as Tier 3 points events under the PBA’s Tier 1-2-3 points system. The Aurora Open will be a Tier 2 event. The top five PBA members at the end of the summer tour will share in the $40,000 USBC Cup prize fund – including $20,000 to the points leader. The USBC Cup points bonus, sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress, will be part of the summer tour for the next three seasons. All competition points earned during the summer tour will also apply to 2020 DHC PBA Japan Invitational and 2020 PBA Tour Finals eligibility.

CONROE, Texas – Tickets are now on sale for the 10th edition of Houston Rockets star Chris Paul’s CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational, presented by GoBowling!, which will return to Bowlero The Woodlands on Thursday, Jan. 17. The star-studded CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational will air on FOX on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. ET.

Paul, the tournament host and a nine-time NBA All-Star, is hoping to defend his doubles title and win for the fifth time overall in the multi-format event which benefits the Chris Paul Family Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting youth, education, health, sports and social responsibility. Paul and a group of his friends from the world of sports and entertainment will participate along with an all-star lineup of PBA Tour stars.

Four different ticket options for the CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational are available. For information and advance purchase, click on www.pba.com/Tickets. The packages are as follows:

Premium General Package - $75 - Includes full buffet, two non-premium drink tickets and one bleacher seat.

General Admission - $50 - Includes one bleacher seat.

Standing Room Only - $25

One lucky fan will also have the opportunity to attend, and will win two Celebrity Invitational VIP passes courtesy of the CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational presented by Go Bowling! Bowlero VIP Sweepstakes. Now through Dec. 16, fans can enter to win by following the @BowleroBowl Instagram, liking the “CP3 PBA Celebrity Invitational Sweepstakes Instagram post, and tagging a friend they’d like to bring in the comments section. One winner will be selected at random and announced on Dec. 21. Sweepstakes rules can be found here.

The Celebrity Invitational begins with a red carpet ceremony at 3 p.m. CT (doors open at 2 p.m.) on Jan. 17 at Bowlero The Woodlands (27000 I-45 N, Conroe, TX 77385) with the FOX taping of competition beginning at 4 p.m.

In addition to Paul, who won the 2018 doubles title with PBA Hall of Fame partner Norm Duke, the event will feature a number of celebrities and PBA Tour stars. The full lineup of celebrities and PBA players will be announced soon. One of the first celebrities to commit to the event is NASCAR star Aric Almirola, a two-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series title winner who was a finalist in the 2018 NASCAR Cup playoffs. Also expected to return to the 2019 tournament are Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder, 2018 American League Most Valuable Player and World Series champion Mookie Betts along with 2018 NFL Hall of Fame inductee Terrell Owens.

WICHITA, Kan. – England’s Dom Barrett won four matches Wednesday on his way to claiming the 2018 U.S. Open, including a thrilling one-pin victory over top-seed Jakob Butturff of Chandler, Arizona, in the title match, 207-206.

The 33-year-old right-hander became the third foreign-born player to win the U.S. Open, joining Finland’s Mika Koivuniemi (2001) and Canada’s Francois Lavoie (2016). He earned the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket presented to the champion.

Wednesday’s stepladder finals at Northrock Lanes were televised live on CBS Sports Network.

The title match swung back and forth as both players tried to figure out the 43-foot oil pattern. An open in the fifth frame from Barrett gave Butturff a slight advantage, as both competitors headed into the final frame working on doubles.

Butturff, finishing the match first, nearly left a 7-10 split on his first shot before the 7 pin tumbled late. He converted the spare and struck on his fill ball, forcing Barrett to strike on his first shot for a chance at the title.

Barrett rolled the strike he needed to start the 10th frame, but a 4-6 split on his second shot left him needing to convert just one pin for the victory. His spare attempt was left of target, but it was enough to push over the 6 pin to give him his seventh PBA Tour title and second major championship.

“For me, it’s about slowing everything down as much as I can in those situations,” said Barrett, who won the 2013 PBA World Championship. “I threw the one in the 10th really well, and I thought the 11th shot was OK, but I must have grabbed a lot of that one. On the spare attempt, I told myself that I didn’t want to miss it right, and I certainly didn’t do that.”

Barrett credited his run through the stepladder to his aggressiveness. He made a big move to the left to start the third game and made multiple ball changes over the course of his final two wins. In all, he averaged more than 238 on his way to the title.

As exciting as the win is for Barrett, he looks forward to everything awaiting him across the Atlantic Ocean. Barrett and his wife, Cassie, recently welcomed son, Colby.

“This means so much,” said Barrett, the runner-up at the 2015 U.S. Open. “Especially for my family at home, too. My wife has hardly had any sleep for the last 10 weeks with a newborn baby, so I think it’s now time for me to take care of my dad duties and take care of my family.”

Butturff led the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year by a sizeable margin to earn the No. 1 seed for the TV show. The 24-year-old left-hander led this year’s field by 552 pins after leading by 617 pins in Liverpool, New York, in 2017.

He joined PBA and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Earl Anthony as the only bowlers to earn the top seed in consecutive years at the U.S. Open since 1971. Anthony also was defeated in each title match, dropping the final game in 1979 and 1980.

“It definitely hurts, especially losing by one, but at least I can say I led this tournament two years in a row, by a lot,” said Butturff, a four-time PBA Tour champion. “It’s about the only thing I can take out of it, but it’s definitely an amazing feeling.

“I threw a couple of bad shots but threw one good when I needed to and (left a) 10 pin. At least I forced him to show up. You know, Dom bowled phenomenal this week, too; we all did on the TV show. It’s rough, but at the same time, I always think of it as another learning experience.”

Barrett also delivered in the 10th frame to advance to the championship match, beating Kristopher Prather of Plainfield, Illinois, 226-222.

Prather had built an early lead, striking on six of his first seven shots but missed a 6 pin in the eighth frame to allow Barrett, who had been struggling with carry, to tighten the match.

Prather missed the opportunity to shut out Barrett in the 10th. Given the chance to fill 26 pins in the 10th to advance, Barrett rolled a double and got nine pins on his fill ball to secure his spot in the championship match.

Barrett defeated EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana, 264-248, to advance to the semifinals. Barrett finished the game first and delivered a double to force Tackett to do the same, but the 12-time PBA Tour champion was unable to get the 10 pin out on his first shot.

Tackett was hoping to become the seventh player to complete the PBA’s Triple Crown. He had claimed the 2016 PBA World Championship and 2017 PBA Tournament of Champions.

In the opening match of the stepladder, Barrett bested Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington, 258-203. Barrett delivered 10 strikes on his way to the win, while Kent was unable to recover from opens in the third and fifth frames.

All competitors at the 2018 event bowled 24 qualifying games over three days to determine the 36 players advancing to a cashers’ round. After eight additional games, the field was cut to the top 24 players for round-robin match play.

The five finalists were determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the United States Bowling Congress and Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.

WICHITA, Kan. - Jakob Butturff once again finds himself one win away from his first major title after earning the top seed for the stepladder finals of the U.S. Open for the second consecutive year on Tuesday.

Butturff will be joined in the stepladder at Northrock Lanes by Kristopher Prather of Plainfield, Illinois; EJ Tackett of Bluffton, Indiana; Dom Barrett of England; and Marshall Kent of Yakima, Washington.

CBS Sports Network will have live coverage of Wednesday's stepladder finals starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. The champion will take home the $30,000 top prize and coveted green jacket.

Butturff shined in match play on Monday and Tuesday, averaging more than 243 and posting a 19-5 record to finish with a 13,452 total, including bonus pins, to lead Prather (12,900) by 552 pins. Prather had led for every round heading into Tuesday's competition.

"I'm speechless," said Butturff, who is a four-time champion on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour. "Kris had bowled so well, and I knew I had a lot of work to do. I worked as hard as I could to repeat shots and keep it going, and now I only have one more game to go."

Butturff displayed a similar performance leading to the top seed at the 2017 event in Liverpool, New York. He posted a 20-4 match-play record to lead the field by 617 pins but fell in the title match to Rhino Page of Orlando, Florida, 256-222.

Page advanced to match play at Northrock Lanes this week and finished his title defense in 13th place with a 12,056 total.

The 24-year-old left-hander now finds himself in elite company, joining PBA and United States Bowling Congress Hall of Famer Earl Anthony as the only bowlers since 1971 to earn the top seed for the stepladder finals in back-to-back years.

Anthony led by 578 pins in 1979 and 551 pins in 1980 but was unable to come away with the title either year.

Last year's stepladder at Flamingo Bowl featured three left-handers, as Page and Graham Fach of Canada joined Butturff on the left side. This year, he'll have the left side of the lane to himself and knows he can take advantage of it.

"Last year was a learning experience," said Butturff, who has won two titles this season. "This week, when I've been the only left-hander on the lane, I've performed much better. So, now I need to make sure I'm able to go out there and make the best shots I possibly can."

Tackett earned the No. 3 seed with a 12,644 total, while Barrett (12,402) and Kent (12,363) will face off in the opening match of Wednesday's stepladder finals.

Prather is in search of his first career PBA Tour title, while Tackett is looking to add a third major, the Triple Crown and another PBA Player of the Year award to his mantle.

Tackett captured the PBA World Championship in 2016 and PBA Tournament of Champions in 2017, and a win Wednesday would make him the seventh player in PBA history to complete the Triple Crown. His victory at the World Championship also helped him claim player of the year.

Tackett's the only player on tour this season to win three titles, and a fourth win would put him as the front-runner for the 2018 award.

Barrett has six career titles, including the 2013 World Championship. He advanced to the stepladder finals at the 2015 U.S. Open but lost to top-seed Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, New York, in the title match, 236-223.

Kent was the top seed at the 2016 U.S. Open but fell to Canada's Francois Lavoie in the championship match, 228-194. Kent has four career PBA Tour titles and is looking for his first major.

All competitors bowled 24 qualifying games over three days to determine the 36 players advancing to a cashers' round. After eight additional games, the field was cut to the top 24 players for round-robin match play.

The five finalists were determined by total pinfall, including bonus pins, for 56 games.

The U.S. Open is the fourth and final major championship on the 2018 Go Bowling! PBA Tour schedule and is conducted jointly by the USBC and Bowling Proprietors' Association of America

U.S. OPEN FINAL MATCH PLAY STANDINGS

(after 56 games. Includes match play record and total pinfall including bonus pins. Top five advance to stepladder finals)

The following are trademarks or service marks of Professional Bowlers Association,
LLC and may be used only with permission of Professional Bowlers Association, LLC:
Professional Bowlers Association, PBA, PBA Tour, the Viper, Shark, Scorpion, Chameleon,
and Cheetah oil pattern logos, the bowler silhouette, World Series of Bowling, and
all other logos, trademarks, and service names associated with the Professional
Bowlers Association, LLC. No portion of the Website may be duplicated, redistributed,
or manipulated in any form.

Use of the Website signifies your agreement to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.